Broncos News Briefs - Wednesday, Dec. 29

Broncos Update

12/29/2004

Catch up on the latest news of the Denver Broncos as they prepare to face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Playoff picture bright - Rocky Mountain News - Jeff Legwold
December 29, 2004 - Box up the ornaments, reel in the lights and take down the mistletoe. The Denver Broncos officially are done with the holiday cheer. They are playing for their postseason fate at Invesco Field at Mile High on Sunday. They will need every bit of power to get past the Indianapolis Colts, they will need every ounce of speed and maybe, just maybe, a little something of what they might have found on a chilly Christmas Night at Nashville, Tenn. - a little football nastiness. "It's time," Broncos defensive end Marco Coleman said. "We can play with that edge. It's good we did, especially after the way we played in Kansas City. We can see we need that edge to be successful with our offense controlling the ball, defense doing its thing, and when there's something there to take advantage of, we have to get it done."

Broncos expecting a Pryce increase - Rocky Mountain News - Jeff Legwold,
December 28, 2004 - Trevor Pryce says, after three months, the wait is over. The Broncos defensive end/tackle, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, said Monday he is ready to play and will be in uniform for the Broncos' game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Pryce, who has not played since the Broncos opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, had surgery Sept. 22 to repair a herniated disk in his back. "I'm not going to play a whole lot," Pryce said. "If you guys think I'm going to play half the game, I'm not. I'll probably play 15 snaps . . . take the pressure off the guys around me for those 15 snaps."

Mannings with a plan - Denver Post - Anthony Cotton
Wednesday, December 29, 2004 - There's paying attention to detail, then there's Peyton Manning, who brings an entirely other-worldly meaning to the term "due diligence." In the waning minutes of Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers, the Indianapolis Colts' quarterback approached the line of scrimmage and began gesturing wildly, like an air traffic controller on speed. Manning does this almost all the time. Sometimes he does it to communicate a new play to teammates, sometimes it's a signal to change the one he called in the huddle.

Colts will be litmus test for new DBs - Daily Camera - Ryan Thorburn
December 29, 2004 - The last time Denver's defense faced Peyton Manning it allowed him to complete 22 of 26 passes for 377 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions — a passer rating of 158.3. It was like a video game. Only the Broncos joystick wasn't plugged in. As a direct result of that humbling 41-10 playoff loss at Indianapolis, Mike Shanahan decided to make an offseason splash to bolster the secondary. Clinton Portis was traded for Champ Bailey, considered one of the game's great cornerbacks. John Lynch, despite the fact that Nick Ferguson had been given a new contract, was signed as a free agent to bring his physical presence and locker room ledership from Tampa Bay to Denver.

Denver's Pryce says he'll play Sunday against Indianapolis - Daily Camera - Ryan Thorburn
December 28, 2004 - Trevor Pryce doesn't want to be the big defensive end who called wolf. So after hinting that he would return to the lineup for the past three weeks only to end up on the inactive list at kickoff, Pryce said on Monday that he will play in regular-season finale. Sunday's game at Invesco Field happens to be Denver's most important of the season. A win over Indianapolis and the Broncos will make the playoffs for the second consecutive season as a wild card.

Pieces in Place - DenverBroncos.com - Andrew Mason
Tuesday, December 28, 2004 - Some Broncos spent the Sunday watching games, anxiously awaiting for updates from the Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens contests to crawl across the bottom of the screen. Then there was safety John Lynch. He began by spending the first part of Sunday away from the television; the chance to spend the day with numerous family members from out of town took precedence over football. Then he clicked on the television and saw the news from Jacksonville: TEXANS 14 JAGUARS 0 HALFTIME. Lynch had to look, even though he thought twice about it.

Pryce Planning to Play - DenverBroncos.com - Andrew Mason
Monday, December 27, 2004 - Others may eventually overrule defensive lineman Trevor Pryce. But for now, the eighth-year veteran plans to return to action in six days after missing 14 consecutive contests following back surgery. "Yep," Pryce replied when asked if he would play Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. "As far as I'm standing here, yeah." But he would not be able to proceed at 100 percent, as pushing off on his leg remains an issue.
"Seventy-five (percent), maybe," Pryce said. I'm not going to play a whole lot. If you guys think I'm going to play half the game, I'm not. I'll probably play 15 snaps.